ExamopotamiaWhy test social media skills before hiring?
The person running your social accounts speaks for the business in public, often in real time and without anyone checking first. One badly judged reply or a promotional post at the wrong moment can be screenshotted and shared within the hour. Portfolios show nice content, but they rarely show judgement. A short scenario test does, and it also checks that a candidate understands the numbers well enough to report honestly on what is working.
What this template covers
- Metrics: engagement rate, reach compared with impressions, and watch time for video.
- Community management: replying to public complaints and knowing when deleting a comment backfires.
- Crisis handling: pausing scheduled posts and what a basic crisis plan should contain.
- Partnerships and content rights: vetting influencers and asking before reposting customer photos.
- Account safety: individual access roles and spotting fake follower growth.
How to run it well
Send the full twelve questions with a 12 to 15 minute timer. Most of the questions are judgement calls, so a pass mark of 70% is reasonable; a senior hire who will manage a team or a budget should score higher. Shuffle the answer options so the polite-sounding answer is not always in the same place.
Look closely at the crisis and security questions in the results. Someone who misses those may produce lovely content but put the brand at risk on a bad day. In the interview, ask candidates to talk through a real complaint they handled publicly and what they would do differently now.
Who this test is for
Use it for social media managers, executives and coordinators, community managers, content creators who will post on behalf of a brand, and agency staff who run accounts for several clients. It is also handy when a team member is taking over the accounts from a colleague and you want to confirm they know the basics first.
Make it yours
Add your own tone of voice rules, approval steps and the platforms you focus on. A realistic question based on a real complaint your brand has received is often the most revealing one in the test. You can also add a short written-answer question asking candidates to draft a reply to a difficult comment, then review the answers by hand.